Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

Ordnance Products, Inc., (OPI) was an ordnance manufacturing facility that operated from 1960
to July 1973. It produced grenade fuses, detonators, ignition components and pyrotechnic signals
for the Vietnam War. Waste materials were buried on the site; they were also burned in open pits
on the southern portion of the site. Waste materials were also placed in drums. Five surface
lagoons were used for the disposal of metal plating wastewater and possibly other waste during
OPI's operation. The property was determined to be a hazardous waste site as a consequence of
activities conducted during OPI's tenure.

OPI is located at 1079 Mechanics Valley Road in Cecil County, Maryland. The site occupies
94.6 acres approximately two miles northeast of the city of North East. It is currently an
industrial park and warehouse known as the Mechanics Valley Trade Center (MVTC). The
property consists of open and wooded terrain, containing about 58 buildings, some trailers,
several wells, and the five lagoons.

The OPI site has been designated as a public health hazard because exposure to contaminants in
the groundwater and surface soil has occurred in the past. Exposures are possibly occurring now
and could occur in the future. Major contaminants of concern include trichloroethene in
residential wells, nickel and chromium in on-site soil (Area F), and antimony, cadmium,
hexavalent chromium, nickel, and lead in the sediments of on-site impoundments. Exposure to
contaminants in the air occurred in the past, but that exposure has been eliminated. Exposure to
contaminants in off-site groundwater has been addressed with individual groundwater treatment
systems. However, the extent of the plume of contamination is currently being characterized to
determine whether other residential wells are at risk of contamination. Additionally, physical
hazards on-site, including buried ordnance, pose a public health hazard to employees and clients
of on-site businesses and to trespassers who may gain access to the site. Off-site soil in the
residential yards between the site and Little Northeast Creek was recently sampled to explore
whether surface run-off from the site had caused contamination. No significant site-related
contamination was found in the off-site soil samples.

When organic chemical contamination of on-site supply wells and off-site residential wells was
discovered in 1987, bottled water was recommended to avoid potential health consequences of
ingesting contaminated water. Water treatment systems were subsequently installed. The on-site
well water treatment system has reportedly been vandalized in the past, but is currently
maintained. Businesses currently operating on the site report they are not using the on-site well
as a drinking water source, but instead use bottled water. The residential water treatment systems
are maintained and sampled every six weeks.

In 1992, squatters were discovered living in mobile homes on the property. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered the squatters to vacate the premises in April
1992. During a December 1993 site visit, the site contained at least three mobile homes that
could be used for occupancy. A follow-up visit to the site was conducted in March 1994 to
establish with certainty the presence and number of on-site residents. The visit confirmed that
only one trailer was occupied by one resident at the time. An EPA representative reported that
this individual has left the site, and that there are currently no people living on the property defined as the Mechanics Valley Trade Center.

There is little documentation of community health concerns in the present or past. Several
complaints were made to the Cecil County Health Department by nearby residents in 1971 and
1972 about air pollution caused by the burning of defective smoke bombs on site. OPI modified
its burning procedures to reduce the problem, which was eliminated when OPI ceased operations.
Over a ten to twenty year period, there have been anecdotal reports of the following adverse
health effects: elevated blood lead levels, cancer, liver damage and respiratory problems in
employees and others associated with the OPI site. MDE has no record of any follow-up actions
to these reports. Present community concerns were solicited in two public availability sessions held during the public comment period.

Based on the findings of this public health assessment, the following recommendations are made:
1) Continue to monitor all off-site residential wells located between the site and Little Northeast
Creek; 2) Restrict access, such as through erecting fences and posting warning signs, to on-site
areas where ordnance is thought to be buried; 3) Restrict access to surface water impoundment
areas (including ponded water in Area D) by means such as encircling with fences and posting
warning signs. Although the site boundaries are partially fenced, the fence does not adequately
restrict access to the site and, thus, the surface water impoundments; 4) Establish security
measures to prevent future unauthorized habitation of the site, because of potential exposure to
contaminants through groundwater and soil pathways; and 5) Assure that the water treatment
system for the on-site supply well is functioning properly.

The data and information developed in the Ordnance Products, Inc., Public Health Assessment
have been evaluated for appropriate follow-up health actions. The Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Health Activities Recommendation Panel (HARP) determined
that site-specific health education is indicated for the community and health care professionals
with special attention to known chemical and physical hazards. The HARP agrees and endorses
the concern expressed in the public health assessment for the potential presence of buried
ordnance and incompletely characterized physical and chemical hazards. The HARP strongly
endorses the recommendation to restrict access and provide warnings to protect the public.
ATSDR will reevaluate this site for additional follow-up public health actions if new data become available.

Based on the recommendations made in this Public Health Assessment, the following public
health actions have or will be undertaken: 1) MVTC is currently under Order from EPA to
restrict access to the site; MDE will urge EPA Region III to see that this Order is enforced in a
timely fashion; 2) MDE worked with EPA to carry out recommended additional off-site
environmental soil sampling; 3) As part of community health education, MDE conducted a
public availability session during the public comment period of this public health assessment; 4) MDE will identify health professionals in the community surrounding the site for ATSDR so that health professional education can be conducted.

Ordnance Products, Inc., (OPI) was an ordnance manufacturing facility that operated from 1960
to July 1973. It produced grenade fuses, detonators, ignition components and pyrotechnic signals
for the Vietnam War. Waste materials were buried on the site; they were also burned in open pits
on the southern portion of the site. Waste materials were also placed in drums. Five surface
lagoons were used for the disposal of metal plating wastewater and possibly other waste during
OPI's operation. The property was determined to be a hazardous waste site as a consequence of
activities conducted during OPI's tenure.

OPI is located at 1079 Mechanics Valley Road in Cecil County, Maryland. The site occupies
94.6 acres approximately two miles northeast of the city of North East. It is currently an
industrial park and warehouse, known as the Mechanics Valley Trade Center (MVTC). The
property consists of open and wooded terrain, containing about 58 buildings, some trailers,
several wells, and the five lagoons. The lagoons are located immediately west of Mechanics
Valley Road near the main entrance to MVTC.

The site is bounded on the north by Stevenson Road and on the east by Mechanics Valley Road
and Deans Lane. Parallel and immediately east of Mechanics Valley Road is Little Northeast
Creek. West of the property is cultivated land; Bouchelle Road, which runs northwest from
Mechanics Valley Road, is the closest street west of the property. The southern boundary of the
property lies adjacent to railroad tracks. Although the property includes undeveloped land east of
Mechanics Valley Road, all current industrial operations are located west of this road. Figures 1 and 2 depict the site and its immediate surroundings.

Prior to 1960, the site was privately owned wooded land and open fields, with scattered buildings
on it. OPI bought the property in 1960 and built additional structures for the manufacturing,
storing and packing of ordnance products. In 1969, Kraus Design, Inc., (KDI) became a holding
company for OPI. When OPI operations ceased in 1973, waste products, including drums of
solvents and acids, detonators, and grenade fuses, were left above ground. No production
operations occurred on the property from 1973 to 1986. KDI became full owners of the property
in 1986, and sold it to MVTC the same year. MVTC, in turn, sold seven acres of property to the
Polo Pallet Company, a wooden pallet assembly business. On the remaining land, MVTC
operated an industrial park, leasing the land to various commercial enterprises. In 1990, Key
Properties purchased the property. As of December 1993, several businesses were present on the
site although the leasing arrangements between Key Properties and these businesses were not
ascertained by MDE.

Concerns about the site were documented during OPI's operating years. In 1972, OPI received
several complaints about smoke emissions caused by the burning of waste material in on-site
burn pits. The on-site septic system also leaked occasionally, resulting in complaints and an
investigation by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH).

In 1987, the Waste Management Administration of MDE learned of allegations that OPI had
buried waste on the property during its years of operation and issued a Site Complaint to the then
current owners, MVTC. Sampling done by Crippen Laboratories for MDE in July 1987 in
response to this allegation revealed elevated concentrations of metals in several drums, lagoon
surface water, and soils on the property. Additional on-site sampling conducted by MDE in late
1987 and early 1988 revealed elevated levels of organic compounds in soil borings, a drainage
ditch, and wells, including a supply well which was used for drinking water at the time. In
addition, surface water from Little Northeast Creek downstream -- but not upstream -- from the
site was found to have elevated levels of trichloroethene (TCE). Off-site domestic wells in close
proximity to the site were discovered to be contaminated with TCE, 1,2-dichloroethene
(1,2-DCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and toluene.

In November 1987, MDE issued a Consent Order to KDI and MVTC to install residential water
treatment systems in three homes whose wells were contaminated with site-related organic
chemicals. KDI and MVTC complied. In December 1987, MDE issued another consent order
requiring KDI and MVTC to remove and cleanup on-site hazardous wastes and to investigate the
long-term hazards as well as the degree of surface and groundwater contamination associated
with the site. This second order was not signed by KDI and MVTC. MDE then turned to EPA,
which conducted an assessment of the site in March 1988. In June 1988, EPA ordered KDI to
remediate nine areas of the site, to determine the nature and extent of groundwater contamination
on- and off-site, and to maintain on- and off-site water treatment systems for contaminated wells.
KDI hired O'Brien and Gere Engineers, Inc., (OBG) to carry out EPA's order.

OBG responded on a variety of fronts. It sampled 52 private residential wells in August 1988.
Volatile organic chemicals were detected in five wells, including one that serviced an on-site
mobile home. A drum and material removal program was carried out in October 1988 to
inventory the types of waste on site and to determine appropriate disposal methods for this waste.
UXB, a subcontractor specializing in pyrotechnics and explosives, assisted in the removal
program. This program identified and excavated three burn/disposal pits containing 1,500 to
2,000 pounds of grenade fuses and slag. However, the waste from the pits was not removed from
the site but instead was backfilled as soon as the material was identified. The program also
identified, on the site's surface, containers of sludge with xylenes and chromium, white smoke
mix (e.g., a blend of zinc oxide and hexachloroethane), hydrofluoric acid, an unknown acid,
mineral spirits solvents, and caustic soda. OBG removed pyrotechnic devices, detonators, drums,
and other containers from the site. These materials were disposed at USEPA-approved RCRA
(Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) disposal facilities.

Sampling, conducted in the fall of 1989, of on-site soil, stream water, and lagoon surface water
and sediments confirmed the presence of heavy metals and organic compounds. OBG also
installed 11 on-site groundwater monitoring wells. Samples from these wells and an on-site
supply well contained excess organic chemicals.

In November 1992, OBG installed 5 pairs of shallow and deep off-site monitoring wells located
100 yards from the southeast border of the property. These wells lie between the property and
Little Northeast Creek. They were installed to better characterize the zones of groundwater
contamination. Sampling of these wells was conducted in January 1993. TCE was detected in
three wells, two shallow and one deep well. The maximum concentration of TCE detected was
2,800 parts per billion (ppb).

The site was proposed to be placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in May 1993. This
placement has not been finalized, and it is not known when it will be. The NPL is a list of all
Superfund sites in the United States. In the pre-remedial phase, sites are added to the list if their
initial evaluation yields a certain score based on a ranking system that is applied to all potential
Superfund sites. Once a site is added to the Superfund list, a series of mandatory steps are
initiated that eventually lead to site clean-up. The first step is the completion of a Remedial
Investigation/ Feasibility Study (RI/FS) which involves a more complete determination of the
nature and extent of site contamination and a detailed analysis of remedial (clean-up)
alternatives. Following completion of the RI/FS, EPA issues a Record of Decision in which they
select one of the remedial alternatives proposed for the site.

The pre-remedial phase for OPI has been completed. However, because, to date, the site has not
been added to the NPL, a RI/FS has not been initiated. Delays have been caused by KDI, which
claims it does not have the resources to pay for a RI/FS at this time; KDI wants to conduct the
RI/FS in stages. EPA is currently reviewing KDI's financial data to determine whether the
company's claims have merit.

On December 13, 1993, a three-hour site visit was made by Robin M. Wagner and Shannon
Cameron, Environmental Toxicologists within the Office of Environmental Health Coordination
of MDE, and Rick Grills, site Project Manager within the Waste Management Administration of
MDE. An occupational medicine resident also accompanied MDE staff. Access to the site was
obtained through the main entrance located off Mechanics Valley Road. Although the site was
partially surrounded by a fence, the gate to the main entrance was open and unguarded. MDE
staff surveyed the Mechanics Valley Trade Center (MVTC) property both by driving on the site's
network of gravel paved roads and by walking on the grounds and inspecting buildings. The staff
also observed the Polo Pallet Company, which is adjacent to MVTC and is part of the original
Ordnance site.

Staff also spoke with two individuals associated with TNT auto repair shop, one of several
businesses operated on the MVTC property. Other enterprises on the MVTC premises include a
motorcycle repair shop, Sonny's, a septic tank business, and a non-commercial auto repair garage
used for "tinkering" by a private party. Large propane storage tanks were also located on MVTC
property; an Allied truck was observed refilling its tanks from the storage tanks during the site
visit. All of the buildings housing these enterprises were dilapidated. In contrast, the Polo Pallet Company was located within a well maintained building and grounds.

Access to the site appeared unrestricted. The fence surrounding the MVTC portion of the site
was composed of chain link where it bordered streets and of barbed wire where it bordered a
cultivated field. As previously noted, entrance to MVTC was through an unlocked, unguarded
gate. The portion of the site lying between Mechanics Valley Road and Deans Lane was
completely accessible, i.e., there was no fence and homes were built on the property. However,
an initial visual assessment of this part of the site made during the pre-remedial phase led to the
conclusion that industrial activities were probably not conducted there; thus, this part of the site
is not likely to pose a threat to public health. However, that assessment has not been confirmed by any sampling of environmental media.

In an earlier site visit, conducted on March 31, 1992, by EPA, MDE, and O'Brien and Gere
Technical Services, several violations were documented that were still in evidence during the
December 13, 1993 visit:

MVTC property is being used as a dumping ground for solid waste and garbage. It is extensively
littered throughout with rusting vehicles and large appliances that could pose physical hazards to
trespassers. The Ordnance site project manager from MDE Hazardous Waste Administration,
who had last visited the site a year before, indicated that the amount of solid waste appears to
have increased significantly over this time period. The source of dumping was not determined.
However, since the site appears freely accessible, it is possible that nearby residents are
contributing to this problem. One of the auto shop employees indicated that the garbage was
going to be cleared from the site "within a week."

During the March 1992 site visit, squatters were discovered living in mobile homes on the
property. EPA ordered the squatters to vacate the premises in April 1992. During the December
1993 visit, the site still contained about ten mobile homes.

Although most were abandoned, at least three mobile homes appeared to be occupied; locked
padlocks were on one trailer and a functional heating fuel tank was connected to another. One of the TNT employees confirmed that one resident lived in another trailer.

On the March 1992 site visit, the on-site hazardous waste storage building used in earlier
clean-up efforts was reported to be vandalized; the lock to the building was broken. During the
most recent site visit, the lock was still broken and the building was open. The building
contained about 20 drums. Some drums were empty, some were bolted and contained
pyrotechnic fuses and explosives, and others contained salvageable or recyclable materials. The
fuses and explosives had been mixed with concrete and placed in the drums. Thus, the drums
were not at risk of exploding. On the December 13, 1993, visit, MDE staff also walked around
three of the five surface water lagoons located immediately north of the main entrance to MVTC.
All three contained liquids. Two were covered by what appeared to be green algae; one
contained what appeared to be an oily mixture. Access to the lagoons was completely
unrestricted.

Two of the 6 pairs of shallow and deep on-site monitoring wells (MW1D, MW1S, MW4D, and
MW4S) were observed and found to be intact. The concrete vault surrounding the on-site supply
well, Well 1, contained debris and dirty looking water. Well 1 is not secured. It could not be determined if Well 1 was used for drinking water by the squatters on-site at that time.

MDE staff also observed an area near Well 1 where, according to Mr. Grills, ordnance is buried.
However, this area was not fenced nor were there any written signs to warn the public about this
potential hazard. The staff also briefly observed a hummocky area (hilly area of mounds) in the
southern most portion of the site which contained some of the most contaminated surface water
found on-site. Smoke grenades were buried in the vicinity of Areas D and H. Again, no written
warning signs were posted, nor was there any physical barrier present to prevent trespassing in
this area.

After touring the site, MDE staff drove around the neighborhood. The area is rural and
predominantly residential. About 15 older, wood-frame, free-standing houses are located
immediately adjacent to the site on Mechanics Valley Road, Stevenson Road, and Dean's Lane.
All of these homes have private drinking water wells, some of which have been shown to be
contaminated by the site. Some of these homes had toys in the yards and children's garments on
clotheslines, indicating the presence of children. Several farms and a mobile home were located
further north on Stevenson Road. Approximately 15-20 newer looking free-standing homes and
a duck pond were located on the part of Bouchelle Road near the site. Johnnies' Baseball Park,
located about a quarter mile from the site at the intersection of Bouchelle and Mechanics Valley Roads, was the only recreational facility or park observed near the site.

The only industrial enterprise encountered in the vicinity, other than the Polo Pallet Company,
was the Maryland Materials, Inc., Company, a large stone quarry operation located about a
quarter mile from the site at the intersection of Stevenson and Lums Roads. No other
commercial or public buildings, including schools, were seen by MDE staff within one mile of
the site.

Little Northeast Creek flows adjacent to Mechanics Valley Road. It appeared to be an accessible,
shallow brook in the vicinity of the site, although no people were seen fishing or playing in the Creek on the day of the site visit.

A follow-up site visit was conducted by MDE health assessment staff Robin M. Wagner,
Shannon Cameron, and David Healy from the MDE Waste Management Administration in
March 1994 to confirm the presence and number of people illegally living on the site. After
examining the three trailers thought to be occupied during the December 1993 visit and speaking
with an auto shop employee, MDE staff were able to determine that only one trailer, housing one
resident, was occupied. MDE staff were not able to locate this person during the visit.
According to the employee, at least one other person had lived on site in another trailer as
recently as the summer of 1993. However, only one person lived on the site in March 1994. An
EPA representative reported that, as of February, 1995, there has been nobody living on the
Ordnance property.

During the most recent visit, MDE staff also looked into whether any persons on-site are
currently exposed to contaminated water. The padlock on the building housing the water
treatment system for on-site Supply Well 1 was broken, but the treatment system appeared intact.
The auto shop worker indicated that on-site employees drink bottled water and showed MDE
staff where the bottled water was kept. The auto shop worker also reported that the trailer
resident drank bottled water. It has been reported that employees of all on-site businesses are currently using bottled water.

On March 20, 1995, OBG notified MDE in writing that the drums containing fuses and
explosives were removed from the waste storage building and disposed of in accordance with
local, state and federal regulations. The only drums that remained in storage building as of this
date contained old granular activated carbon filters used to remove volatile organic site-related contaminants from affected groundwater.

OPI is located in zipcode 21901, which includes the towns of North East and Charlestown. The
1990 U.S. Census considered the entire area within the zipcode to be rural. The 1990 total
population and number of households in this zipcode was 10,363 and 3,686, respectively (1990
U.S. Census). Three fourths of the residents own their homes, while the remainder rent their
accommodations. About 28% of the residents are under 18 years old, 62% are between 18 and
64 years old and 10% are 65 years old or older. The area is predominantly white (96.5%);
African Americans and other races represent 3.0% and 0.5% of the population, respectively. The
median household income in 1989 was $34,932, and the per capita income was $13,913; 10% of
the residents had incomes below the poverty level. About 63% of persons over 24 years old had
a high school diploma or less education; the remainder had at least some college education. The unemployment rate for men and women over 15 years old seeking employment was 6.5% and
5.3%, respectively.

The nearest residences are about 30 feet from the site on Mechanics Valley, Stevenson, and
Deans Lane. These homes have private residential wells that were used for drinking water prior
to the discovery of chemical contamination.

Land and Natural Resource Use

The site's maximum elevation is 180 feet above sea level at the western edge while its minimum
is 100 feet above sea level at Mechanics Valley Road. The property slopes downward from the
west to the east about 3.5 percent. Thus, surface water runoff travels in a west to east direction.
There is a small, intermittent stream which flows east from the site, running next to the lagoons
and then into Little Northeast Creek. Thus, surface water runoff from the site eventually reaches
Little Northeast Creek, which, in turn, flows south into Northeast Creek and eventually empties
into Chesapeake Bay.

The sources of water for housing units in the zipcode were public water or private company
(38%), individual wells (60%), and "other" sources (2%) (1990 U.S. Census). The homes within
a mile of the site use private wells for drinking water. There is also currently one on-site well
that could be used for drinking water, if bottled water is not available, by the businesses and
residents living on the site. The city of North East, which is located within the zipcode, receives
its water from a municipal system. This municipal system uses surface water from Northeast
Creek at a location 2.46 miles downstream from the OPI site. The system delivers water to about
5,000 people. However, only 2,200 of the 5,000 people supplied are within a three mile radius of the site (MDE, 1990).

The land within a one-mile radius of the site is predominantly developed with private homes and
farms. As previously noted, the only commercial activity observed within the one mile radius
was the stone quarry operation, the Maryland Materials, Inc., Company. The city of North East
is found within a three miles radius of the site. According to the records of the MDE/Residential
Sanitation Division, 1,313 domestic wells have been constructed since 1969 within a three-mile
radius.

DHMH is currently in the process of gathering cancer incidence data for the State of Maryland
dating back to 1983. Comparative cancer incidence data for the local (zipcode or census tract),
county, and state are projected to be available sometime in the next two years. Cancer mortality
data are available from DHMH through 1989. DHMH has provided MDE with cancer mortality
data in electronic format for the years 1987 to 1989. Geographic coverage of the cancer deaths
includes County, zipcode, and census tract.

The birth defects registry at the DHMH has data available from 1984 to 1988; however, the data
are limited to 12 sentinel birth defects reportable by law(1), and the non-sentinel birth defects,
which are voluntarily reported. Geographic coverage of this data is restricted to the County level.
Evaluation of available health outcome data is presented in the Public Health Implications section of this document.

There is little documentation of community health concerns in the present or past. Several
complaints were made to the Cecil County Health Department by nearby residents in 1971 and
1972, when OPI was operational, about air pollution -- dense black and white smoke -- caused by
the burning of defective smoke bombs on-site. In response to complaints, OPI agreed to modify
their burning procedures to reduce the amount of smoke produced. Specifically, they agreed to
bury rather than burn some waste, to burn smaller quantities at a time on a more frequent basis,
and to not burn waste when the wind was blowing in the direction of houses adjacent to the site.
These procedures apparently reduced the problem, which was eliminated when OPI ceased
operations.

In 1981, a reporter from the local newspaper, the Cecil Whig, contacted the Cecil County Health
Department to report a call from a local resident who feared her drinking water well might be
contaminated as a result of buried waste at OPI (file correspondence from William Sumner, Cecil
County Health Department, August 14, 1981). The resident was in poor health and thought
contaminated water might be the cause. According to the Cecil County Health Department, the
resident's well had been tested and no chemical contamination was found. The resident was
apparently notified of the well testing results by the County Health Department. The County
Health Department told the reporter it had learned that OPI burned smoke grenades which
contained a carcinogenic compound, "benzathrone." The reporter also told the County Health
Department that he had spoken with former OPI employees who indicated many of them had
cancer, liver damage, lung problems and high levels of lead in their blood. The Cecil County
Health Department referred the reporter to the Office of Environmental Programs of the
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. It is not clear what, if any, follow-up
actions were taken in response to these health claims.

When organic chemical contamination of on-site supply wells and off-site residential wells was
discovered in 1987, bottled water was recommended to avoid potential health consequences of
ingesting contaminated water. Water treatment systems were subsequently installed. The on-site water treatment systems are currently maintained and sampled periodically by O'Brien and Gere.

In 1987, MVTC's septic system was discovered to be leaking, discharging sewage directly onto
the ground surface. This leakage was deemed a potential public health hazard. The Cecil County Health Department ordered MVTC to take corrective action, which it did.

No other community health concerns could be located in the documents available to MDE. MDE
conducted two public availability sessions during the public comment release of this document
that solicited current health concerns the community had about the site (see Public Comments
section).